The Deerpalsing Syndrome – A National Plague

Poor Nita… That’s Bad… Really Bad…

Nita Deerpalsing, Communication Executive of the Mauritian Labour Party went real berserk last week, when she tried to use her MP and Labour Executive prerogatives to intimidate some Police actions on a main road in Quatre Bornes.

Well, Lady ! That’s Bad… Really Bad…

If that was a temper-lead mishap, it nevertheless shows what WE, in Mauritius suffer mostly from ONE big degenerative social disease, symptoms of which can be described as follows …

Multi-levelled justice, whereas prostitutes seem to be more punishable than an illegally hawking political-agent.

Multi-levelled interference from “so-to-say protecting politicians” in police cases at the end of which people can die in prison cells in mysterious ways,

Multi-levelled interactions from high profile execs into enquiries to ensure who to arrest and who not to.

The Obligation to Adopt a Neat and Impeaccable Behaviour…

Nita Deerpalsing who represents the power to talk of the leading Majority, has by default the obligation of adopting a neat and impeccable behaviour. Her place in the Labour Party’s hierarchy demonstrated a real move for handing more power to women and to my eyes, this looked promising until their leader naively (funnily) called her a local bird’s name on an open Microphone, in front of a bewildered and bashing crowd.

But Nita’s own image goes beyond the simply powerful, political woman who holds an important office in a leading and governing party. Her actions and positions inside her constituency against Gambling, Drug dealers, Prostitutes and Corruption earned her some important points on the credibility barometer, especially for the local voters who globally see into Deerplasing one of the best and cleanest PM from Quatre Bornes, since Micheal Glover.

She, who has my respect as a woman and as a professional communicator, just went across the acceptability line. One common citizen just cannot tolerate such words and deliberate intrusive actions from a ruling MP, especially from this one MP who has the Prerogative to Talk and convey messages on behalf of the ruling party and by extension (in well hidden-fashion) of the government.

If Alzheimer is for those who tend to forget everything (like Paul), and if the Asperger Syndrome is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (Remember Pravin ?), I can say that a new strain that I will coin as “The Deerpalsing Syndrome” has been uncovered.

Definitions

What’s in a Syndrome ?
A syndrome is a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like. It can also be a predictable, characteristic pattern of behavior, action, etc., that tends to occur under certain circumstances.
In our case we can say that our Syndrome covers both definition.

The Deerpalsing Syndrome is a form of political wrong doing which implies unnecessary and sometimes illegal intrusion into administrative matters and actions that are supposed to be free of political partiality. But this is nothing but the most recent strain of this national scourge that plagues our bureaucracy and our technocrats’ jobs.
One recent example was MP Kamajeet’s own admittance of the ruling Party’s high-profile Officials who have their hands deep into deciding of who to work with an essential service.

Viewed from another angle this can well relate to Abuse of Power or that of Influence Peddling, or to that of Conflict of Interest and even to some form of Corruption, against which no-one seems to care looking for some kind of legal remedy.

The Deerpalsing Syndrome takes its roots into the irresponsible powerplays that elected MPs have been used to, as to what rewards are to be given back to active political agents who have been helping during electoral campaigns.

But, we really do have something to do with it!

BUT BUT BUT… This Syndrome is also fueled by us, common Mauritian citizens who have an innate cultural belief that any help to earn a politician a Minister’s, an MP’s or a Counselor’s seat should be rewarded by personalized services using the system’s loopholes or even in cash.Let’s face it! We are still in a configuration where the people expects to receive Briani in non-ecological trays when going to the 1st of May Political meetings and that won’t change overnight. even if Jameel Peerally managed to unite 5000 people against this “etat des lieux”.

Giving Food for Growth to the “Petits Copains” philosophy.

We do, at each time of the day, when we go buy a Briani (I did buy some from Solou, I must admit! Mea Culpa!) from some hawker who is not properly licensed or who doesn’t have the right to operate in a given place, give food for growth to a system that nurtures the “Petits Copains” philosophy.

Each time we buy a bootlegged DVD, or a counterfeited Gucci bag, or a fake Nike… and the list might go on and on and on… we are just accepting the sickened system as ours, naturally.
One should never forget that such kind of shops and counters need permits, patents and have legal operating frameworks, that are publicly violated and seldom dealt with.

So each time we would be feeding such shops, it’s the Deerpalsing Syndrome that we are helping to settle in our “mœurs’ more powerfully anchored than ever.

But This Syndrome is the Strongest, I guess… What a Shame!

But I can hear you think… Even if we would report these ill-doings at the nearest Police Station or at the ICAC, NOTHING will happen, The Deerpalsing Syndrome will just strike back! And I would understand your frustration and your will to just let go, as long as you can still live your “normal” life…

2 thoughts on “The Deerpalsing Syndrome – A National Plague”

Nice blog Alain, I must say I agree with you but that this syndrome you have coined Deerpalsing Syndrome may be a little unfair as this syndrome has been around for quite a long time and I would struggle myself to suggest who’s name would suit better the syndrome you talk about. What you talk about goes on all over the world, even here in the UK labour was rumbled for its cash for peerage, secret donations for citizenship etc. Mauritius however, being such a small island cannot escape the eyes of he public and media which is why we see much more of the behind the scenes corruption that goes on. As I said before, MP’s should only be recruited if they really do want to do the job. If its for personal gain or lining your pockets with tax payers money then jog on and leave it to someone else who doesnt need a Supplemented salary.

Thanks for your comment Mishal to which I will add that you are right about the fact that this syndrome has been around for quite a long time time now, and that coining it like I did might sound unfair. But I had to react and put a name on somekind of obscure practices that we, as common mauritian citizens, seem to have assimilitated within our genetical map.

Naming it after Deerpalsing is only due to timing. It could have been coined otherwise and yet carry the same values and defects.

Nita Deerpalsing earned my full respect over issues where strong stands were awaited from any bold politician. From me, She still has it all as a woman fighter and professional but she went astray for a day.

And talking about us, commoners, please believe me when I say that : …I would understand your frustration and your will to just let go, as long as you can still live your “normal” life…